Walking the hike & bike trail with a friend whom I had reconnected with after too many years gone by, we covered the gamut of conversation from kids to work to family to trips. Good catch-up time. She shared with me that she and her brother were not on the best of terms, that they speak sparingly, and occasionally text. She mentioned wanting to send him a birthday card, but said, "He probably won't even open it if I sent one."
I said, "So what? Send it anyhow. You won't know if he does or doesn't open it, yet you would have done your part - and it was from the heart."
A few weeks ago, I texted a Happy Birthday wish to a relative with whom I do not speak any longer. I did not expect a reply, nor did I receive one. However, I know at least I let that person know I was thinking of them on their birthday. That's it. That's enough.
Snippeteers, we cannot predict, expect, or gauge how someone will receive us, react to us, reply to us, or even if we will hear back from them at all with a gesture or outreach.
We can do only our part - the reaching out. The rest is out of our hands.
'Silent' communicating, such as email, texts, cards, and letters mailed, to an estranged kid, cousin, sibling, parent, friend will reach them, and then - how they react, if they choose to reply - is up to them.
You did your part.
